Contact Information:

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center.

Creator

Mann, Charles Harrison, Jr., 1908-1977

Title

C. Harrison Mann, Jr. papers

Inclusive Dates

1832-1979

Physical Characteristics

85.5 linear feet (142 boxes)

Abstract

Comprises C. Harrison Mann, Jr.'s personal papers and handwritten draft of his history of George Mason University. Papers pertain to his political career and include subject files, memoranda, campaign materials, speeches, newsclippings and other related materials.

Charles Harrison Mann, Jr. was born in Alabama in 1908 and received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1931. He subsequently became an attorney both in Washington, D.C. and in Arlington, Virginia where he and his wife Betty Hart Mann, maintained their home. In 1949, while serving as President of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Mann organized an exploratory committee of local citizens to develop support for higher education in Northern Virginia. Through these efforts, the Northern Virginia Center of the University opened in October 1, 1949.

In 1953 Mann organized the Advisory Council to the Northern Virginia Center, which agreed that a two-year branch college should be established. Elected as a Democrat to the Virginia House of Delegates from 1954-1970, Mann sponsored a resolution calling for a study of educational needs for Virginia, and was instrumental in recommending the development of a college system in Virginia, particularly the establishment of a branch in Northern Virginia.

Mann was responsible for creating an educational financial assistance program for Virginia college students, and was instrumental in sponsoring legislation allowing local governments to form regional boards to acquire and transfer land and buildings for educational use.

He also served as the Chairman of George Mason College's first Board of Control. He sponsored bills constituting George Mason College as a branch of the University of Virginia and later elevating it to a four year division of the University with the right to grant degrees and offer graduate program. He served on the GMU Board of Visitors from 1975 to 1977. He died in 1977.

Comprises C. Harrison Mann, Jr.'s personal papers and handwritten draft of his history of George Mason University. Papers pertain to his political career and include subject files, memoranda, campaign materials, speeches, newsclippings, maps, and other related materials.

Series 2: General Assembly (1950 - 1970) documents Mann's time in the Virginia General Assembly, and is divided into two subseries. Series 2.1: General Assembly Correspondence. Series 2.2: General Assembly Subject Files, with subjects including the Civil War Commission, Clippings, Education, Insurance, and Schools Data.

Series 3: Career (1945 - 1970) documents Mann's political career, local and national politics, and legislation, and is divided into three subseries. Series 3.1: Speeches, Public Engagements and Press Releases. Series 3.2: Legislation, Congressional Resolutions and Documents, includes documents on bills passed and killed, the Gray Commission and the Perrow Commission (both as a result of Brown v. Board of Education), and Senate and House Bills and Joint Resolutions. Series 3.3: Politics and Platforms, includes documents on various local and national political campaigns, the Democratic Executive Committee, primaries, elections, and special sessions.

Series 4: George Mason University (1958 - 1978) documents Mann's involvement with the founding of George Mason University (G.M.U.) and is divided into three subseries. Series 4.1: Correspondence, includes correspondence concerning G.M.U. during the years 1964 - 1971. Series 4.2: Newspaper Clippings, includes newspaper articles on student housing, new buildings, student protests, and college plans. Series 4.3: Subject Files, includes documents on the G.M.U. Advisory Board, the G.M.U. Broadside Newspaper, the G.M.U. Law School, and pamphlets.

Series 5: Subject and Miscellaneous Files (1832 - 1979) documents numerous subjects and is divided into two subseries. 5.1: Subject Files, includes documents with subjects ranging from civil defense, Communism, mental health, to historical newspapers, newspaper clippings, copies of historical maps, education, and Mann's personal documents. It also includes a large portion on transportation, with documents pertaining to billboards, trucks, highways, traffic safety, and other transportation-related subjects. 5.2: Miscellaneous Files, includes Mann's personal slides collection and political endorsements notecards.